a tinglin frae the wuids  -

whaur the burn rins

an blaebells growe

a tinkling from the woods  -

where the stream runs

and bluebells grow

kirk flair

fou o crecks

...whaur the yirth muived

church floor

full of cracks

...where the earth moved

a petal faws

ontae the jotter

...scriever's jam ower

a petal falls

onto the notebook

...writer's block over

...

a quate queir

aboot tae croon

...daffins apenin

a silent choir

about to sing

...daffodils opening

rottan an craw

teug o weirin

wi a deid chookie

rat and crow

tug of warring

with a dead chicken

Burn's nicht  -

haggis an neeps

tatties an shoogly legs

Burn's night  -

haggis and turnips

potatoes and wobbly legs

blowster Eowyn

agin the winnock

...a hird's huifs

storm Eowyn  

against the window

...a herd's hooves

( Eowyn  -  horse lover)

freest agane  -

i the ghaistly gairden

girss stauns on en

frost again  -

in the ghostly garden

grass stands on end

hame wi'r new hurkle-bane  

he sneds a slae brainch  -

a limb tae mak'r stieve

home with her new hip-bone  

he cuts a blackthorn branch  -

a limb to steady her

doverin,

heid on a concrete pillae

...hameless bunnle

asleep,

head on a concrete pillow

...homeless bundle

on freestit girss

heroin needles

an spuins

on frosted grass

heroin needles

and spoons

hivvie snaw

driftin

swans

heavy snow

drifting

swans

frost  -

the plainstanes glentin

a bodach chitterin

frost  -

the pavement sparkling

an old man shivering

freesty mornin  -

the hern fushin

the bodach's dreepin neb

frosty morning  -

the heron fishing

the old man's dripping nose

boxing day  

tuimness, quate  -

anely the coot waffs's bunt

boxing day  

emptiness, silence  -

only the coot waves his tail

the day on the tree

anither gee-gaw

...crescent muin

today on the tree

another ornament

...crescent moon

 Yule  -

cairryin hame the bubbly jock

reestin tae mait the deuks

Christmas  -

carrying home the turkey

stopping to feed the ducks

on the lintel

a fou muin

sheens frae a bing o clinks

on the mantlepiece

a full moon

shines from a pile of coins

daw lift  -

the burn

alowe

dawn sky  -

the stream

on fire

Advent caunle  -

anither inch o licht

i the derkness

Advent candle  -

another inch of light

in the darkness

owernicht thowe  -

the snawman's

on the rin

overnight thaw -

the snowman's

on the run

 frae the hossie winnock

cluds gaither  -

sall we cry thaim a waeness?

from the hospital window

clouds gather  -

shall we call them a sadness?

Yestreen

a gliskit ma faither's haun

raxin oot frae ma ain

last night

I glimpsed  my father's hand

stretching out from my own

scrievers' jam  -

nae maitter hou monie tymes

the swan hauds by

writers' block  -

no matter how many times

the swan passes by

a waffin

frae'r winnock?

naw, a fawin leaf

a waving

from her window?

no, a falling leaf

on the acer

a hinmaist reid leaf  -

throuch the brainches, sindoon

on the acer

a last red leaf  -

through the branches, sunset

aneath fawin leaves

auld feres tryst

...syne win awa

beneath falling leaves

old friends meet

...then leave

pumpkin heids

aye smirkin

...intae the broth-pot

pumpkin heads

still smiling

...into the soup-pot

jogger oot frae the derk

airms sprauchlin

...wabster wuman

jogger out from the dark

arms flailing

...spider woman

hallae e'en  -

pumpkin heids fleet i the derk

...peerie sangs an rimes

halloween  -

pumpkin heads float in the dark

...little songs and rhymes

wundblawn leaves

drien alang the causey

...hearken tae thair scartin

windblown leaves

driven along the street

...hear their scratching

the hunter's muin

hus sichtit

a tod

the hunter's moon

has spotted

a fox

 faw'n leaves

sweil an lowp

...hairst ballet

fallen leaves

swirl and leap

...autumnal ballet

hairst  -

the airtist chirts oot

his umber tube

autumn  -

the artist squeezes out

his umber tube

plashin

throuch the wuids  -

the musky snowk o hairst

squelching

through the woods  -

the musky smell of autumn

throuch oor upwreilin braith

we're tentie

o the geese leavin

through our rising breath

we watch

the geese leaving

doon it the mou  -

a moose's reft

granfaither's chocolate

disappointed  -

a mouse has stolen

grandfather's chocolate

hairst wunds  -

leaves

preein ither treen

autumn winds  -

leaves

trying out other trees

hairst mornin  -

derk skelets

the gairden fou o leaves

autumn morning  -

dark skeletons

the garden full of leaves

i the sin

she rists her heid

on a fedder bed  -  swan

in the sun

she rests her head

on a feather bed  -  swan

Reid Rab  -

hodden amang

the rodden berries

robin  -

hidden amongst

the rowan berries

thair an no thair  -

Reid Rab kittles

the auld gairdner

there and not there  -

the robin teases

the old gardener

a suddent glent

jinkin throuch the gairden

...mauppie's bun

a sudden flash zigzagging

through the garden

...rabbit's tail

 a swan preens

in a buls-ee o reengs

...weir i the err

a swan preens

in a bullseye of rings

...war in the air

hairst

leaves faw

...greitin sauch

autumn

leaves fall

...weeping willow

a furst Reid Rab

pluffin's 

bricht new breist

a first robin

puffing

his bright new breast

did oniebodie

hearken tae the pluffs 

...bleckened brume huils

did anybody

hear the explosions

...blackened broom pods

a perk o sinflooers

thair derk heids hingin

Christ-lik

a field of sunflowers

their dark heads hanging

Christ-like

efter the waddin

burds romp 

amangst skailt rice

after the wedding

birds revel

amongst scattered rice

 danderin throuch the cloister  

myndins

skimmerin

strolling through the cloister

memories

flickering

the fooneral bell's

airn

TUNG!!!

the funeral bell's

iron

TONGUE!!!

dinsome pilgrims  -

the maister

snibs's door

noisy pilgrims  -

the master

locks his door

mornin Mass  -

thunner an lichtnin...

or God took a photy!

morning Mass  -

thunder and lightning...

or God took a photograph!

youthlins

borein it the priesthood

syndin oot thair unnerweir

young men

studying for the priesthood

washing out their underwear 

auld kirk  

towrists stoor in an oot:

thair's naethin thair...they threep!

old church

tourists rush in and out:

there's nothing there...they say!

doactor's surgery  -

awbodie

tae-tappin

doctor's surgery  -

everybody

toe-tapping

throuch the haar

brichtness o reid aipples

bein washt

through the mist

brightness of red apples

being washed

International Mass  -

bund thegither

...luve (ly) mosaic!

International Mass  -

bound together

...love (ly) mosaic!

vide causeys  -

casten intae the plainstanes

peever beds

derelict streets  -

faded into the pavement

hopscotch beds

rodden tree

laden wi berries  -

nae Yule tree bonnier

rowan tree

laden wi berries  -

no Christmas tree lovelier

auld photy  -

sinlicht's wrocht

ghaists o the faimilie

old photograph  -

sunlight's made ghosts

of the family

derk cluds  -

on the burn

splatches o blae

dark clouds  -

on the stream

patches of blue

coorse wunds

soop athort the burn

...furrd broos

rough winds

sweep across the stream

...furrowed brows

hoose o the weeda-man  -

ower the doorbell

a muckle wab

house of the widower  -

over the doorbell

a huge web

gift shoppie  -

amang the fossils

her emerant fingernails

gift shop  -

among the fossils

her green fingernails

the youthie rinner

oot trainin  -

the burn an me clappin

the young runner

out training  -

the stream and I clapping

scartit intae the pew:

A N

loos

J C

scratched into the pew:

A N

loves

J C

 creepin eevie tooters

hystit, afftakkin

...juist ill tae win at!

bindweed trumpets

raised mockingly

...just out of reach!

days o drouth  -

the burns skelet

shawin throuch

days of drought  -

the stream's skeleton

showing through

butterie

afftakkin the bodach

stoiterin

butterfly

mocking the old man

staggering

seterday mornin play  

...keengfusher

fushin

saturday morning pastime  

...kingfisher

fishing

the lowpin troot

goves doon on perfit circles

...zen maister

the leaping trout

stares down on perfect circles

...zen master

the watter

stooryin back

tae the sea, tae the lift

the river

racing back

to the sea, to the sky

it rist

atween thae reefu weengs

...keengfusher

at rest

between those frantic wings 

...kingfisher

scuil hoalidays  -

he hunkers on biggin saun

ere faither's lowsin tyme

school holidays  -

he sits on building sand

till father's finishing time

craw dooks's derkness

intae the burn

whilk swallaes it

crow dips his darkness

into the stream

which swallows it

jazz throuch the apen door  -

a butterie

jitterbugs by

jazz through the open door  -

a butterfly

jitterbugs by

maggie

hunkers on the bucket lid  -

ah'm tentie o't thinkin

magpie

sits on the bin lid  -

I watch it thinking

throuch stoor they hoastit 

an kerved cathedrals

...braw heidstanes

through dust they coughed

and carved cathedrals

...magnificent headstones

acer

reid nebbit

it its ain bonnieness

acer

blushing

at its own beauty

 weet mornin  -

snail an me

...oor hystit umbrellys

wet morning  -

snail and I

...our raised umberellas

faw'n nest  -

sae perfitly roond

sae beinly

fallen nest  -

so perfectly round

so comforting

his days o sheddaes  

baurs thit urnae thair  -

ma manic freen

his days of shadows  

bars that aren't there  -

my manic friend

a peerie butterie

focht the wund

tae hunker aside me

a little butterfly

battled the wind

to sit beside me

owercast  -

sum flooers

sweirt tae apen

overcast  -

some flowers

hesitant to open

 votin day  -

pickin a dander

bi the watterside

election day  -

choosing

a walk by the riverside

bawdrons stoors taewarts me

prood

o's moothfou o moose

cat races towards me

proud

of his mouthful of mouse

the auld Muslim

an the auld Christian waff

...they ken the truith!

the old Muslim

and the old Christian wave

...they know the truth!

amang sic dour fowk

the yalla-gowans'

smirking nebs

among such grim folk

the daisies'

smiling faces

licht traivilt

fowerteen billion year

fir his wae een tae  -  dormoose

light travelled

fourteen billion years

for his sad eyes too  -  dormouse

efter the yirdin

he hunkers souchin:

Somewhere over the rainbow

after the funeral

he sits humming:

Somewhere over the rainbow

flags droop

pipes foonder i the cunyie

...anither brust fitbaw

flags droop

bagpipes slump in the corner

...another burst football

(EUROS 2024)

in her phone buik

mair nummers scartit oot

nor byde

in her phone book

more numbers scratched out

than remain

in the bus shelter

a snorlie condom

...a vaige endit

in the bus shelter

a knotted condom

...a journey ended

the ceildh ower

bairns' herts brustin

boa fedders errborne

the concert over

childrens' hearts bursting

boa feathers airborne

(for Amelia)

 D-Day  -

i the gairden puppies

stan fest i the blowster

D-Day  -

in the garden poppies

stand fast in the storm

 the speengie rose apenin

tyme

fir the drouthy bummer

the peony rose opening

time

for the thirsty bee

the watterside

bangin up

efter the fluid

the riverbanks

rising up

after the flood

trystin wi maggie on the rod  -

a bode

or semply a haiku?

meeting magpie on the road  -

an omen

or simply a haiku?

twa fremmit fowk  -

the bleckie's croonin's

stellt thaim

two strangers  -

the blackbird's singing

has brought them to a standstill